Everywhere Dante looked those words followed him, floating in the air.
Name: Dante Tenebris
Race: Demon (Obyrith)
Level 1
EXP: 0/50
Health: 150/150
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 15
Stamina: 100/100
Magic Points: 100/100
Skill Points: 0
Talent Points: 0
Dante scanned through all of the information. He noticed right away how balanced his stats were, but he couldn't tell if they were good or not. After noticing his magic points he began to wonder if he could use magic any better than he used to. Magical abilities were always something Dante had no problem understanding, but using them tired him out quickly. He tried remembering a simple fire spell his mother taught him, but when he preformed it nothing happened.
This was strange. The spell was burning hands, a low level spell that would cover his hand in fire. While it would drain his energy to use it, he never had a problem casting it before. He wondered if his this new system had anything to do with him not being able to cast the spell. Was it incompatible? Then he wondered what spells he could cast.
As he wondered about possible spells, a new screen appeared in his vision. Dante could no longer see his stats. Instead the new screen showed a spell list, separated by levels.
[Spell List]
Level 0 spells (Choose one)
Acid; Eldritch Beam; Fire Strike; Poison Vapor; Mockery
Level 1 spells (Choose 2)
Flaming Hands; Command; Disguise; Familiar; Laughter; Inflict Wounds; Sleep; Thunderstrike
Dante looked at the list and frowned. He had learned a few of these spells already but try as he might he couldn't cast them. Some of the others he had heard of but never had the talent to learn. There was one however he had never heard of. Eldritch Beam.
Dante looked at Eldritch Beam, wishing he knew what it was. A level 0 spell was sure to be weak, but this one sounded interesting.
Again, when Dante had thought of what Eldritch Beam might do, an smaller screen popped up over the larger one.
[Eldritch Beam]
Magic Point cost: 0
Gather Eldritch energy inside your body, then direct it at an enemy as a beam attack. As you grow stronger, so too will your Eldritch Beam.
Dante read the screen and thought the spell sounded kind of cool. It didn't cost any magic points, and it dealt damage. But cool wasn't enough for him to select it right away. There were lots of options and he could only choose one level 0 spell, whereas he could choose 2 level 1 spells.
Dante started to realize how this strange system worked, and began examining the other spells he could choose from. He noticed right away all the level 0 spells had no magic point cost. They could be cast freely, so they were probably pretty weak. The level one spells all cost 25 magic points, meaning he could only cast 4 level 1 spells with his current Magic Point totals.
Dante, not wanting to rush to any decisions, decided not to choose any spells right now. He had noticed something about ability points on the previous screen, and wondered if he had any abilities already. The Abilities screen appeared before him.
[Abilities]
Demon Body (Obyrith) - All stats +5, increased regeneration (passive)
(Transform Ability)
Transform your body to that of an Obyrith. While in this state, all enemies who look upon you become disoriented, and have a chance of losing sanity. Sanity loss is determined by the combating wills.
Wisp Weapon - passive
You have been touched by the pure spirit of the Wisp. Your weapon deals damage as if it were magical, and is able to cut through some magical barriers.
After these two abilities the rest of the list was greyed out and unreadable. As he read the first ability Dante looked over his body. It said it increased all his stats by 5, but he didn't really feel any different. Upon closer inspection thought Dante could notice some differences. The main one being his height.
Before he woke up Dante was 5 foot 9 inches tall. Not necessarily short, but definitely not tall. Now he felt at least 6 foot tall, maybe even taller. His arms and legs were bulkier too. But strangest of all was the dark purple markings running down his arms.
Dante was wearing long pants, with a short sleeved shirt. He couldn't see his legs, but his arms had purple markings reaching down to his wrists. They looked strangely like tentacles and teeth. Was this part of his Demon Body?
Looking at his second ability Dante felt kind of sad. It reminded him of his party, when the wisp had alighted on his forehead. Just last night, everything had seemed so normal. Or was it two nights ago now? He honestly had no idea how long he had been gone now. The angel lady had said his father knew where he was, but no one else did. Dante wondered what his parents were telling his friends about him being gone.
Then Dante wondered if his father could find him. If he knew the angel lady, maybe she had already told him what happened. Would they know what happened with the Blood Trace? Was this something that could happen normally?
Dante decided thinking about these things wouldn't help him right now. He thought of closing the system and it disappeared. He turned away from the black expanse of the Abyss, and back toward the small village he had seen some miles in the distance. When he turned around however, he found himself face to face with some humanoid creature.
Dante's heart began to beat faster as he looked upon the creature. It stood at least 5 inches taller than Dante. It's shoulders were wide, and its arms were very large, dragging across the ground. It's legs looked like a humans, except for the small spikes that covered the entirety of its body. When Dante looked at it's face however, it looked quite normal.
Smoot skin framed by straight black hair. It's eyes were grey with an obvious intelligence to them. He looked back at Dante, a look of confusion on his face.
"Who're you?" It asked Dante, in a low smooth voice.
"My name is Dante." Dante replied.
"How did you get here? Where are you from?" The being continued.
Dante contemplated this. He honestly had no idea how he got here, and he didn't know if he should tell him where he came from. He felt like he was standing there too long, and wanted to give him an answer, he just couldn't think of one.
"Tell him you were chosen by blood." A familiar voice said in his mind. It was the being from before.
Dante repeated the message to the creature in front of him. The large spiky man didn't show any recognition. Instead, he turned back from the village, and as he started walking off he said, "Come."
So Dante followed in silence. At least outwardly. "What did you just have me tell him? Where is he taking me?" Dante asked the voice.
"That, my boy, was a magical ability provided by the Blood Trace. You say those words to the first person you meet after the trace. From that point on they will be compelled to get you to the nearest testing ground. There should be one in any castle." The voice explained.
"And what exactly is the testing ground?" Dante asked him.
"The testing ground will test your blood and select the family you will belong to in the Abyss. Everyone belongs to a Family. Your family is your bond, and your protection. You will work for your family and in return you will reap rewards."
"How long will I have to stay here before I can go home?" Dante asked him.
"Home?" The voice asked amused. "Young man you will have to work very hard to be able to leave this place. The Blood Trace is a powerful contract, and it will bind you here until it's conditions are met. Even then you must have a way to hide your new appearance. There are plenty of spells and abilities that could accomplish this, however."
Dante thought back to the disguise spell on his spell list. He could choose the spell now and get that out of the way.
"The Disguise spell is indeed powerful enough to achieve this, but there is a limit to the spells you can learn. I would think on it more before making your decision." The voice said.
Dante was taken aback. He knew whoever the voice belonged to had a connection to his mind, but he didn't know he was aware of the system Dante had discovered since waking up.
"Did you give me the system." Dante asked.
"Indeed I did." the voice replied. "But I never would have been able to if the Wisps did not mark you. You see, wisps are pure beings made completely of energy. A Wisp who marks someone is transferring a small portion of the pure energy they are made of into the recipient. If it wasn't for this bridge I wouldn't have been able to make something like this. I agreed to give you power but I thought you might need a hand understanding it, so I based it off of some of the AI games I found in your memories." The voice went on to explain.
Dante liked the system. It was fairly easy to navigate, and as far as he could tell, would make learning new spells and abilities allot easier.
"Well, it works really well. Thanks." Dante said.
"Don't mention it." The voice replied. "I must now turn my attentions elsewhere. Busy, busy." the voice said, then fell silent.
"But what if I have a question!" Dante tried shouting at the voice with his brain, but there was no response.
"Great," Dante thought, "I guess all I can do now is follow this guy."
Even though the village seemed far away, they were quickly approaching it. There was no wall, or gate. The village had one main road that entered through one side, and exited through the other. There were more humanoid Demons standing on either side of the road as they entered the village. They didn't try to stop the travelers, although one did give Dante an odd look before carrying on with his duties.
Inside the village Dante noticed all of the Demons, and how vastly different they all were. Some had wings, Some slimy scales. Some were spiky, while others had large horns protruding from their heads. Big, tall, short, and skinny they came in all shapes and sizes. One thing they all shared in common was how each one looked as if it was created from a nightmare.
Despite looking like monsters to Dante, they continued along their normal every day lives. There were Butchers slinging slabs of meat. Bakers baking fresh delicacies. Children ran through the streets, playing with each other happily.
Not many paid much attention to the two travelers. Those who did however were giving Dante strange looks. Dante still looked pretty much human, minus the tattoo like markings covering his body. He still had a human build. Those staring at Dante would quickly look away upon noticing something Dante had not. The markings on his body would move.
The tentacles Dante noticed on his arms spread across his chest, and up his neck to his face. If someone would stare at those markings for too long they would feel like the tentacles were squirming. It made them feel uneasy.
The castle in this village was directly in the middle, with the main road branching off left and right, meeting again on the opposite side of the castle. Large and black the castle loomed high. It's walls were smooth, as if hewn from a single stone. A lone tower could be seen rising from the center, a red flag with a serpent adorned the parapet.
It was here the burly demon had taken Dante. They walked through the open gate with no hassle, and up the stairs to the entrance. When they reached the doors two guards stopped them.
"Halt, state your business." One guard said.
The burly demon looked to Dante, and after a moment Dante said. "I'm Dante Tenebris. I have been chosen by blood."
The two guards looked at each other. Eventually one looked to Dante and said, "Wait here." And with that he went off into the castle.
"I know the voice said the whole chosen by blood thing only works once, but I didn't know what else to say. I hope it was the right move." Dante thought to himself.
He turned to the demon who led him hear and said, "Thanks for the help, I got it from here."
The big demon looked at Dante and nodded. Then he started to leave. After taking a few steps he turned to Dante and said "The names Gareek." and with that he left.
Dante didn't have long to wait with his thoughts. Soon after the guard had returned. Looking at Dante he said. "Dante Tenebris, please present yourself to the throne room."
The doors to the castle opened before him and, with a deep breath, Dante stepped inside.